Kurt Cobain’s ‘Unplugged’ Guitar Finds a New Home

There aren't many guitars as the legendary as the guitar late Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain used Nirvana's in 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. The event marked one of Nirvana's last live appearances, because Cobain passed away the following year.

So, this guitar has been a prized possession since the early-1990s. Now, that guitar has a new home, and it's at the Royal College of Music in London.

The story behind this guitar is a fun one. Peter Freedman, founder of the Australian company Rode Microphones, purchased the guitar, which is a 1959 Martin D-18E, back in 2020 for a record-breaking $6 million, according to Rolling Stone and other news sources. At the time, it was the highest price for any guitar sold at auction ever, breaking records.

This year, the guitar was on display at the Royal College of Music in an exhibit that ended in November. Now, Freedman is donating it to the music school for good. They're even planning to send the guitar off on international touring exhibition in 2026.

"I am delighted to gift this iconic guitar to the Royal College of Music so that they might realize the guitar's value and profile for the benefit of young musicians at the RCM and reach people around the world," Freedman said of his gift in a statement. "This gift is dedicated to my father Henry who loved music and London, and it's an honor for me to support the next generation of musicians."

"The Royal College of Music is deeply grateful to Peter Freedman for his incredible generosity in gifting the College Kurt Cobain's Martin D-18E guitar," Royal College of Music director James Williams added. "This asset opens future opportunities to share the Kurt Cobain Unplugged exhibition with an international audience; it is also emblematic of Peter's unstinting support for the performing arts and his steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives."

So, that famed guitar now has a home, and generations of music lovers will be able to see it preserved for years to come.